Lost Voice
by Dark Ice Dragon
Summary: Tao loses his voice. Takeo has to pick up the slack.


**Summary**: Tao loses his voice. Takeo has to pick up the slack.

Spawned (surprise, surprise) by Lucathia Rykatu noticing just how much Tao talks for the trio and the conversation she had with Turkeyimposter about how Takeo should have fic centred around him more. XD

…Okay, I like making Takeo flail. XDD

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><p><strong><strong><strong><strong>Lost Voice<strong>******

By Dark Ice Dragon

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><p>Takeo stared at Tao's sheepish smile as the other man held up his pocket computer.<p>

"_It looks like I've lost my voice after all that cheering last night with the kids. Oops?_"

Takeo crossed his arms and sighed. At least the day was going to be quieter until his voice came back.

xOx

It wasn't going to be any different, Takeo realized a few minutes later when he, Tao and M-21 were sat around the table, having ramen for breakfast.

"_Do you think this is going to be awkward after a while?_" Tao asked as he pulled the noodles out his bowl with his chopsticks with one hand, typing with the other.

"It means you won't have to stop talking while eating," Takeo noted dryly.

Tao quirked a grin at him. "_Yeah, I suppose so._" He blinked innocently at them, pointedly chewing.

"But there will at least be a pause for each response," M-21 added.

Tao waved his chopsticks, flicking some of the soup onto the table. There was a hushed pause and then a desperate scramble to clean it up before it made a mark. Once the table was spotless again: "_You mock my typing skills?_"

M-21 snorted.

"_Anyway, I nominate Takeo to do the talking for me._"

Takeo choked on his ramen and dropped his chopsticks. They fell with a clatter onto the table and then span to the ground. "But you just-" he spluttered as he reached for the tissues.

"_I know_," Tao had already typed, "_but I should probably save my fingers in case the Boss needs me to hack something. And I don't want to be holding up my computer all day either!_"

Takeo eyed Tao as he wiped the table down and picked up his chopsticks. "Could you at least change the font – it's annoying to read."

"_Hey, I stare at code font all the time; I _like_ this one…_"

No, it didn't look like the day was going to be any different from before.

xOx

Tao had stored his pocket computer away (and Takeo couldn't see where, which vaguely disturbed him) when they left the house, making motions for Takeo and M-21 to talk with one another.

They shared a glance and then looked away.

Tao sighed, shaking his head.

xOx

Takeo knew Tao talked. Takeo knew Tao talked _a lot_. He just didn't know the sheer effort that had to go into talking since he always let Tao do it.

"Wait, you've lost your voice?" Shinwoo exclaimed, his jaw dropping before he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Was it because of last night?"

Tao grinned at Takeo and the children turned to him expectantly.

Feeling a trickle of sweat down the back of his neck, Takeo opened his mouth. "Uh, yeah…"

The children beamed at him. "You're talking for him? That's great!"

Not exactly…

xOx

"_Takeo, Tao, there's a disturbance going on around the back of the school._"

Takeo nodded and started to head towards the back. He paused and turned around when Tao didn't follow him. Tao lifted his eyebrows, the wide grin that Takeo had started to recognize to mean he was supposed to say something present.

"_Takeo? Tao? Please respond._"

Right. With a sigh, Takeo lifted his hand to press the earpiece. "We hear you; we're checking it out now."

Tao's pleased grin made Takeo roll his eyes.

xOx

Takeo twitched when he opened the door to the house and found the children already waiting, a game board set out across the table and sweet packets discarded alongside it.

Chuckling, Tao patted Takeo on the shoulder and pointed to himself; Takeo breathed a sigh of relief. Good. He wasn't going to have to play with them.

xOx

"How are you feeling?" M-21 asked Takeo as they washed the dishes.

He breathed into his sink, decidedly _not_slumping but still closing his eyes. "Tired." It had been exhausting in a way that was different from a fight or a spar and he felt like it would take him longer to recover from it too.

"Woo, good roll, Yuna!"

Takeo and M-21 froze and the entire room went silent for a second.

"Your voice came back!"

"Pffthaha! You lost your voice while playing and you got it back while playing!"

"Ahaha… Yeah." Tao grinned and didn't look in the direction of the kitchen. He cleared his throat. "I think it's time for you all to go home anyway."

"Awww."

"Is it that time already?"

"I guess we should…"

Tao ushered them to the front door and when it was shut again, Tao turned around slowly.

"You'd never lost your voice," Takeo said flatly as he peeled his washing-up gloves off.

"No," Tao admitted, letting loose a weak chuckle. "You talk so little, I think people are starting to forget you're there! It wasn't _that _b-"

Takeo's gloves smacked him in the face.

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><p>Kinda ooc, but I don't care. XD One of my NYR is to write more expressive gestures.<p>

And yet, I didn't write him talking that much. :P


End file.
